GOP bashes unions for not disavowing Youngkin

Burlington County Republicans are trashing three labor unions for not pulling their endorsements of Democrat George Youngkin for freeholder.

Youngkin suspended his campaign on September 27, hours after the Burlington County Times revealed that he had been arrested for attempting to choke his ex-wife and for stalking another woman.

Now the GOP said that the AFL-CIO, the New Jersey Education Association and the Burlington County Education Association should have withdrawn their support of the embattled Democrat.

“In the era of #MeToo, it is unconscionable that groups who purport to represent working men and women, and public school teachers, haven’t stepped forward to publicly revoke their endorsements of George Youngkin’s Freeholder campaign in the wake of news reports detailing his serial abuse, harassment and violence against women,” said Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs, who is seeking re-election this year.

Gibb’s running mate, Freeholder Linda Hughes, also bashed the unions.

“As a young woman running for public office, it’s disappointing to see some of these groups eagerly push out pro-woman rhetoric when it suits their partisan end game, but then stay silent when their candidate of choice turns out to be a proven perpetrator of domestic violence,” added Hughes, the deputy freeholder director.

The Republicans also criticized the National Organization for Women for staying silent a year after they endorsed Youngkin for State Senate against incumbent Dawn Addiego (R-Evesham).

“Frankly, it says a lot about what matters more to them – women or partisan politics – to see the National Organization for Women (NOW) stand on the sidelines while two qualified young women are running against a man with a track record of abusing women,” said Chris Russell, a spokesman for the county Republican organization. “NOW should be holding rallies for Kate and Linda. Instead, they can’t even muster the admission that their endorsement of a domestic abuser in last year’s Senate race was a mistake.”

Republicans have a 3-2 majority on the freeholder board and Democrats need to pick up one seat to take control.